... Tesco cheap imitation red bull tastes just as good, and is only 24p a can. I wish I hadn't learnt this.

... I still can't resist ridiculous special offers like "free rucksack with the Evening Standard." 50p for a rucksack is ludicrous, and probably means indian sweatshops. And besides, who wants to walk around with the branding of evil right wing rags on their back? But 50p for a nice navy blue rucksack!

... I still look young enough to be IDed? Even after a weekend of non-stop partying? Ah yes, that's because I'm just buying a bottle of wine and a can of red bull. That probably doesn't project "mature shopper".

... The signs at Elephant and Castle would be much more amusing if they were "Ministry of Sound" and "Ministry of Health".

ASDA is now IDing anyone who looks under 25. I know this because I got IDed on Saturday buying a normal sort of shop of things like bread and meat and veg and a couple of tins of pre-mixed G&T. I was still rather surprised.

And besides, who wants to walk around with the branding of evil right wing rags on their back?

My current rucksack, when I bought it, had a big manufacturer's brand smack in the middle of it. It wasn't an ideologically offensive brand in the same sense, but I've never been keen on walking around with advertising all over me and in any case it was the only non-black thing on my entire person so I wanted it gone. I got rid of it with a stitch-unpicking tool. Does your branding come off as easily?

(Of course, the downside is that when I eventually need another one I won't be able to remember who made this one, which is a predicament I will cheerfully admit to having brought on myself :-)

The Tesco own-brand Red Bull is pretty decent (by which I mean, it does what it's supposed to do - it doesn't taste great, but then neither does normal Red Bull IMHO!) On long nights of DJing I've found it handy to have a bottle.

Does anyone else here recall the vogue for med students drinking Calpol and Red Bull a few years ago? It was after I was a (maths) student but also seemingly before the current times, as I spoke to current meds and they'd never heard of it. (Their preferred tipple is now cocktails based on the alcohol hand-rub gel you have to use when visiting wards in most hospitals.)

I remember that! (Or, more specifically, a friend's brother will remember that, and I remember him talking about it.) The medics at my uni were big fans of red bull and pro-plus. A combination I deeply mistrust.

First thought: Imitation Iron Bru? What on earth do they call it to indicate that.Second thought: Oh, right, Red Bull. What a weird mistake. Still, I wonder what they do call it.Third thought: Maybe they call it "imitation red bull". That ought to be safe from trademark infringement right?? Assuming you can't find anyone to stand up in court and say "I bought some tesco Imitation Red Bull, and when I got it home, I discovered it was imitation Red Bull! WTF?"

I bought the daily mail once. (I know other people read it.) It was a very good price for a Kind Hearts and Coronets DVD. For ages I kept the paper, as Probably The Only Daily Mail I'll Ever Buy (TM), but eventually decided that was (a) stupid and (b) doesn't fit into into my filing system, and threw it out.

I think I've read 1984 more[1] than I hear the full names of government institutions. Thus I can never hear "Ministry of Health", etc, without assuming it's some sort of biowarfare research laboratory.

Calling it "imitation red bull" would probably be fine in terms of trade descriptions, but it would still be trademark infringement. You can't use their name unless they give you their permission, which I doubt they would in this case!

From a book I once read: "We all know that in most countries the Ministry of Defense is in charge of attacking other people and the Ministry of Employment presides over the dole queue. Cameroon's Ministry of Tourism is in that noble tradition. Its job is to discourage tourists from getting into the country."